Healthy Poison
by bloodlustw
Summary: Reno and Rude have been sent on a mission to find the key to Rufus Shinra's full recovery. The key they are looking for, however, will do whatever it can to avoid them. Who will last out in the end?
1. Mission Start

I honestly couldn't help but laugh when I took notice that there are no other stories like this one. There might be something wrong with my imagination but oh well! :) Hope it's a nice read!

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A deep sigh exited Reno's lips. He was beginning to tire of watching the ceiling fan spin at its slow pace. Taking out one arm from under his head, he pulled out out his phone. He sighed again when noticing there were no new messages. Ever since the incident with Kadaj and his gang, things have been calm. A little too quiet for his tastes. He hasn't been on a mission in weeks. In the beginning he enjoyed the time off but now he's thirsty for any job. He sat up and tousled his hair. That instant, his phone began to ring. He grinned and jumped off the couch he's been on for hours on end. His eyes simply lit up when he heard his partner's, Rude's, voice. Apparently Rufus contacted him about a job for the two of them to do. Reno didn't even listen to the job details. He was so excited about having something to do he hung up on his friend and quickly left the Healin Lodge. Jumping into his car, he b-lined it back to Midgar.

It didn't take him long to find Rude. Once he entered the car, he received the information of the job. Rufus supposedly has found someone who would be able to help him fully heal. Materias simply haven't done the trick for him and his body does not have the ability to heal anymore than it has since the explosion that should have taken his life. What they are out to find is nothing but a mere rumor. With how calm everything has been though, the two had nothing to lose by chasing it. It didn't take them long to reach the helicopter port. The car won't be able to take them where the Temple of the Ancients used to be. They got into the chopper and departed.

"So..." began Reno. "Who do you thing this magical healer is?"

"Who knows," answered Rude. "It's seems odd that anyone would be residing in that forest in the first place."

"Man... That area is enormous. How does Rufus expect us to find anyone?"

Smirking, Rude answered, "I think he simply got sick of your complaining of nothing to do."

"Hey!"

"Heh... Who knows? Either way it is going to take awhile."

Time quickly passed by simply to arrive at the outskirts of the forest surrounding the crater. The sun was on its way to set. The duo decided to begin their search the following day. For now the two set up a small camp just for the evening. By the time the sunlight was fully gone for the day, they were lying on the ground. They were on opposite sides of a small bonfire. There was light chatter among themselves about completely random subjects. Before long, they were taken by the sandman.

_Get out of here you Shinra scum..._

Reno woke up in a start. Instantly he knew he wasn't where he fell asleep. He looked around seeing that he was back in the helicopter. Rude was right next to him, still soundly sleeping. While scanning the area, looking for any sign of how they ended up back inside, he shook his partner's shoulder. In waking up, Rude became just as confused as Reno was. After realizing they couldn't figure out anything just sitting, they got out of the helicopter. They examined their campground seeing that the fire they had set up has been out for hours. Knowing they weren't alone, their eyes surveyed the entrance of the forest. Not a single leaf was moving. It was if everything was sleeping. The two decided to split up.

Over an hour has passed since Reno began to strain his eyes. He knew that unless he was on top of his game, he could easily walk right passed what he was looking for and not even notice it. Once in awhile he would climb up a tree to get a different view of the area. His phone began to ring as he was climbing down his third tree. When he was back on his feet he looked at his cell seeing that Rude was calling him.

"Hey man, what's up? You find something?" Reno answered.

"Could say that. I spooked something that is headed in your direction," Rude explained.

"Animal or person?"

"Hard to say. It was jumping from tree to tree at a rapid pace."

"Alrighty, I'll keep my eye out," Reno told him as he ended the call.

He looked up at the treetops as he put his phone back in his pocket. Even though he just climbed down it, he climbed right back up the tree. Once he felt that he was high enough, he took a seat on a sturdy branch. With a sigh, he rested his head on the trunk and closed his eyes. Not long after, he could feel something staring at him. He stayed completely still, pretending that he was sleeping. Soon after his sixth sense kicked in however, he heard a deep growl. He cracked his left eye open and cautiously glanced in its direction. Both of his eyes widened when he noticed a large fiend jumping right towards him. He was so surprised that he fell from the branch right onto the ground. Once he shook off his daze, he looked up seeing the fiend on its way to jump on him. He jumped to his feet and began to run as fast as his feet would allow. He could hear the creature right behind him.

"You have got to be kidding me!" he exclaimed.

In just a few minutes, he was able to exit the forest. When he was a good thirty feet away from the trees, he looked back at them. His legs gave out on him when he didn't see anything chasing him anymore. He leaned back against his arms and just took time to catch his breath. It didn't take too long for him to be able to breathe normally again. When that time came, he called Rude and explained to him what happened. After the conversation ended, Rude also left the forest, but on his own accord. He walked over to his partner amused.

"Yeah yeah..." Reno muttered.

"Heh... Getting hungry yet?" Rude questioned.

"Starving."

"Let's see what we got then."

Reno nodded in agreement and stood back up. The two made their way back to the helicopter. It wasn't long until confusion took over. The food that they always know to store on long missions such as this one is gone. There's not a single trace of it. The two looked at each other annoyed.

"Well we know for a fact now," muttered Reno.

"We're not alone here," finished Rude.


	2. It's a girl!

Even though it was just one, I was so happy to get the review for the first chapter. I truly appreciate every's thoughts and opinions. Thank you!

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Days have passed since Reno and Rude left back for Midgar. The very first thing they did there was grab a bite. While eating, they were attempting to come up with a game plan for catching their objective. Ideas were passed between them but nothing stuck. In the back of their minds they knew that no plan would work. They simply had to play it by ear and be ready to improvise at anytime. Once they felt they had the energy again, they left the bar and found their president. They gave him an update on the situation at hand. When that was done the two simply went to their individual homes and rested. The rest of the time they were there, they were collecting everything that they believed they would need to complete their mission. Three days later, they were ready. Once again, they didn't arrive at their designated area until the evening. Similar to last time, they decided to camp out and wait until the next day to get to work. Difference they made is that they were sure to lock their ride up. When they felt it was secure enough, Rude made a campfire while Reno was drinking a beer he stashed. When the fire was ready, he tossed the other over to his partner.

"Haven't seen the director or Elena in awhile," Reno spoke.

"Unlike you, they happily went on vacation," Rude explained.

"Hey well... What about you?"

"I'm counting this as one."

"Heh."

It wasn't long until the two were ready to sleep. Rude was quickly able to fall asleep. Reno, however, kept staring into the fire. Sleep eluded him. For once he was thankful for that. Just a couple minutes of silence, he began to hear footsteps. Instantly he closed his eyes, wanting to put up the appearance that he's resting. He almost gave himself away when he felt something press into his back. To keep up his acting, he rolled over onto his back. Whatever was testing him seemed satisfied. His eyes opened the instant his body began to drag. In the corners of his eyes he could just barely make out the arms that were pulling him. He pretended as long as he did just to see where he would end up. When he realized he was on his way to the forest though, he was done acting. He took his rod out of his jacket pocket and nailed his attempted kidnapper right on the head. A loud clang echoed from such a strike. The second he was free, he jumped to his feet. He was braced for an attack that never came. He couldn't see that well, but he was able to tell that he did enough damage to be left alone for the night. Feeling proud of himself, he put his weapon back in his pocket and made his way back to the campsite. Relaxed now, he was able to sleep soundly.

The following day, the two split up and once again entered the forest. Reno was still feeling confident about what happened last night. He was completely sure of himself that he was going to find this being in less than an hour and be done with the mission. Once again he climbed a few different trees to get bird's eye perspectives. Right at the hour mark, he was ready to climb his forth tree. He hesitated in the beginning. He cocked his head in confusion as he found his target right in the open. Just above him, on a sturdy branch, he saw a figure soundly sleeping. The body was completely shrouded in a dark green trench coat so he couldn't make out any features. Cautiously, he climbed up. His curiosity took over when he reached the target. Just wanting to see the face of annoyance, he reached over to the hood that completely covered the expression in shadow. Before he could lower it, the body became animated. With a very familiar rod, he was struck in the gut. In too much pain, he fell from the tree onto the soft ground. Not a moment after the collision, hands clasped tightly on his neck. No amount of struggle could get him the air he so desperately needed. He still couldn't see beyond the shadow of the hood for the upper half of the face. The mouth, he could see. Just from the formation of the lips, he could tell that his attacker really wanted him dead. When his vision began to darken, however, the pressure was released. Instantly he gasped for breath, never being so happen for oxygen before. The second he opened his eyes, he saw a furious Rude. In following his gaze, his eyes locked onto the figure writhing in pain.

"Good... good job Rude," Reno panted, still attempting to catch his breath.

"I'm not letting you die yet," Rude responded, helping his beaten friend up.

Once he was on his feet, the both of them looked over at the third member getting onto their feet. A now very irritated Reno made his way over to the other wounded, ready to capture and go home. The shrouded one wasn't done fighting. With rod still in its possession, they wildly attacked at the two Turks. Rude, who easily avoided, got behind the figure and tightly held its arms behind them. Reno simply chuckled at the struggle, knowing that Rude was strong enough to not let go.

"Good night," he grinned.

With those words, he punched them with all his might exactly where he hit them last night. Right when the body became limp, the two were relieved. Even that though, was very short lived. Growls began to echo in the trees all around them. They looked around themselves, seeing that they were surrounded by fiends. The men nodded at each other, just before taking off at full speed. The body was completely limp on Rude's shoulder. All they had to do now was get to the helicopter and never come back again. As they ran, Reno fished out the key to the copter. In just a few minutes, they made it to the clearing. Unlike before, the fiends didn't stop there. They continued to chase them all the way to their one and only escape. Reno quickly unlocked the door and jumped in. Rude quickly followed and slammed the door shut behind him. Right after that, he simply threw the body in the back. The two now just wanted to take a moment and rest, but they weren't allowed. The fiends outside were shaking the chopper horribly. If continued, it could fall over. Reno, as fast as he could, sat in the pilot's seat and started her up. In just a few seconds, they were air born.

"Hey Rude, can you take over? I need to know who the hell is back there," Reno asked.

"Sure," he answered.

With an exhausted sigh, the redhead stood up and walked between the two seat. Once back there, he quickly sat down for his legs were tired. Once he was comfortable, he took his phone out of his pocket for a light. Once the light was on, he shined it on the green material. Without waiting any longer, he lowered the hood. His eyes couldn't have gotten wider from what he discovered.

"It-it's a chick Rude! A freakin' chick!" Reno exclaimed.

He was in awe. He didn't realize by how much trouble she had given them that it was anything but a male. But no, it was a girl. He was so in shock that he didn't realize that she became conscious. Wasting no time, she opened the side door of the helicopter and jumped out. Reno quickly scrambled over to the door and looked down. He found her just as she hit the water. His heart began to race. If she died, Rufus would kill him. So when he noticed her swimming back to her island, he couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief.


	3. Cat and Mouse

"How long has it been since she got away huh?" Reno tiredly asked.

"Four days," Rude answered.

Reno groaned in annoyance and hunched over. Instead of splitting up, the two were walking together through the dense trees. They were both angry with themselves for getting so close to achieving their goal only to have it slip right through their fingers. There hasn't been a single sign of their target since that escape. They were just hoping that she didn't end up drowning since they never actually did see her get back on land. The two were running out of food in their storage. As the days pass, they slowly become weaker from not getting restful sleep. They were searching together because, at this rate, they'll miss something completely obvious if the other wasn't looking. Even with all this going on, they really didn't want to go back to Midgar without her this time. Suddenly, things suddenly started to work in their favor. Reno stopped dead in his tracks and grabbed Rude's shoulder to made sure that he would also stay. Just a few feet in front of them was the girl herself. She didn't seem to notice them for her back was facing them. Despite that she was distracted by other matters. Reno could help but grimace when he saw the deep gash on the left side of her waist. Blood was simply draining from the obviously infected wound. They assumed that when she jumped from the helicopter, she collided with a rock. Doing all she could do, she pulled out some bandages that she took from the two the first time they were there and wrapped them around her waist. Not exactly wanting to see the wound, his eyes traveled to the right of her. His eyebrow twitched when he saw his weapon. She was obviously keeping just in case they were to attack her again. Either way, he wanted it back. He was so fixated on it that he was nearly startled when she stood up. With his weapon in her grasp, she suddenly took off at full speed.

"Hey!" Reno shouted at her.

He took off right after her. He was pretty sure he was faster than her, but with how she kept weaving around the trees it was impossible to get close enough. His only goal though was to not lose sight of her. He knew with that would she was not at top physical form. It was only a matter of time. He was impressed by how long she's been lasting. He could see that the bandages were completely soaked with her blood. His eyes narrowed when she entered a clearing. She was running towards the edge of a cliff with all she had. Not liking the situation, he put every ounce of energy he had in his legs. His eyes widened in horror when she simply jumped off the edge. Sliding onto the ground, he was just able to grab her wrist. From there he just stayed on the ground, trying desperately to catch his breath. He could tell she was doing the same thing for she wasn't fighting against him. When he was able to breathe normally again, he looked down the cliff. The girl was looking around, obviously trying to figure out a way to free herself. In not wanting her to find a way, he lifted her up as he stood up. Rude slowly walked up, completely out of it. Reno grinned triumphantly back at him.

"Reno!" Rude warned him.

The warning came too late. Obviously she had learned the perk of the weapon she still had a hold of. She slammed the rod on his wrist, tasing him. He gasped in pain and involuntarily let go. His eyes widened and he tried to catch her again but gravity won over him. The loud splash made his heart sink. He couldn't make sense that she would rather kill herself than go along with them. His eyes were locked on the water. He couldn't seem to move, even though Rude was urging him to do just that. It didn't take him long to give up. Just as he began to walk away, he heard a loud gasp. Instantly the two were at the edge once again. She looked up at the two shocked men. She couldn't help but smirk and flip them off with both hands.

"Oh hell no," Reno cursed. He stood up and took off his jacket. He handed to Rude saying, "get the helicopter ready."

Rude took the jacket and walked away. Reno didn't risk jumping. He turned his back to the water and very quickly began to climb down the cliff itself. Less than a minute later, he was at the bottom. Once there, he scanned the area. He knew she would have attempted to flee again. The sea was completely calm. Not a ripple to be seen. He was simply sick of this game of cat and mouse now. He just wanted to go home but no. He, once again, had to find Waldo. His ears perked up when he heard the pops of bubbles. He looked to his right seeing just a couple more before the water was calm once more. He gasped for air and submerged himself where he saw the one sign of life. His eyes widened once more, when he saw light coming from a cave. Not wanting to run out of air, he swam into it. Halfway through the tunnel, water seeped into his mouth. He just kept telling himself that he was almost there. Right as he reached a pocket of air, he gasped for breath. He pulled himself onto the cave floor and collapsed onto his back. He just stared at the ceiling, completely spent. The cave sparkled with the flicker of the campfire that was in the middle. That's when a shadow cast over him. He couldn't move at all when he saw the girl standing over him. He just watched her as he breathed heavily. There was no doubt for her intention to kill him. Even so, he kept on breathing. After studying her, he began to piece together why she wasn't striking the final blow. Her entire form was trembling, her skin was extremely pale, eyes sunken in. She wasn't just dealing with a wound that wouldn't seal. Suddenly, she fell to her knees. He could easily hear how deeply she was breathing. They both knew that she wasn't going to last much longer. Unlike before, he became amused when her hand clamped down on his neck.

"You're too weak," he spoke smugly.

Not a second after the remark, his weapon kissed his chin. Wanting to speed up the time of her passing out, he grabbed onto her wound. Her entire form hunched over and tensed up. There was an attempt to scream but there wasn't a sound. Her nails dug deeply into his neck. No longer amused, he ripped her hand off him and tossed her across the cave. He jumped to his feet, rubbing his neck. He was surprised when he didn't see blood. His other hand was covered with hers though. He looked over his shoulder, seeing a motionless body. He nearly threw her into the fire. Still rubbing his neck, he approached her and kneeled down. Even though she was now unconscious, her expression still read pain. He rested his hand on her forehead, realizing his suspicions were true. She was burning up. He picked up over his shoulder with a heavy sigh. Not wanting to waste anymore time, he dove back into the water. He didn't have a way to stop her from breathing in the water and so he knew he had to hurry. He quickly left the tunnel and made his way back to fresh air. He took only a moment to catch his breath. Right in front of him, a rope ladder hit the sea. He looked up exhausted at Rude, just before beginning his climb. His arms were trembling by the time he entered the helicopter. He tossed the girl off his shoulder, wanting the extra weight off him. After pulling the ladder back inside, he slammed the door shut. He thing grabbed some rope from the back. He tied her wrists behind her back. Afterward, he tied her legs together. When he was done, he walked to the cockpit and sat in the seat next to Rude. He explained what happened to his partner as he wrung out his hair.

"I am exhausted," he muttered.

"Sleep," Rude simply told him.

"I think I will."

It was only a matter of seconds until Reno was in slumber land.


End file.
